What we learned: U.S. advances through World Cup's 'Group of Death'

By By STEPHEN COHEN

on June 26, 2014 3:28 PM

Klinsmann was hired in 2011 to take U.S. soccer to the next level; to oversee the development of the United States team into a world-class organization, with advancements both on and off the pitch.

Most fans and observers knew that the true measure of success would come every four years at the World Cup, the biggest stage of them all. Qualifying simply wasn’t good enough. Klinsmann had to lead the Americans to wins.

Even then, most assumed it wouldn’t happen in 2014, especially after Klinsmann signed an extension in December that will keep him as the head of the USMNT through 2018. The 2014 squad would play just well enough to be cannon fodder for the world’s elite teams, pundits claimed. Then, watch out for the U.S. in 2018, when Klinsmann will have had four more years to develop the squad.

Don’t look now, but the Americans are ahead of schedule.

The U.S. will advance out of the group stage for the second World Cup in a row for the first time in history, and if Klinsmann continues to move the program forward with the same momentum as his first few years, a new age of U.S. soccer could be dawning.

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Klinsmann’s making all the right moves

Klinsmann endured widespread criticism last month when he left star Landon Donovan — the only soccer player many Americans knew by name — off the 2014 squad, but Klinsmann proved he had a golden touch with his roster in the group stage.

In the Americans' 2-1 victory over Ghana, defender John Brooks (above) became the first U.S. substitute to score in a World Cup — on a cross from a fellow sub in midfielder Graham Zusi, no less.

Defender Omar Gonzalez, who saw little action in the squad’s first two games, was perhaps the best U.S. player on the field against Germany. And Klinsmann even got defender DeAndre Yedlin some seasoning on the world stage with appearances against both Portugal and Germany, with the youngster looking up to the task.

Klinsmann also showed a willingness to be flexible with his tactics, adjusting to the loss of striker Jozy Altidore in the first half against Ghana by adding an additional midfielder for the matchups against Portugal and Germany. With the possibility of adding Altidore for the Round of 16, the U.S. has options moving forward.

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Thursday’s performance wasn’t the Americans’ best effort

The Americans started the group stage by winning a game they probably deserved to lose — or perhaps draw — after Ghana threatened for much of the contest. Still, they showed resilience with the late winner from Brooks and stole three points away from their arch-nemesis.

Against Portugal, the U.S. drew a game they rightfully should have won, with a couple of bad mistakes leading to the last-second goal from Silvestre Varela — undoing an effort that should have netted them an additional three points.

With the Germany game, the results finally matched the effort. The American team went toe-to-toe with the Germans in the first half, but looked downright exhausted in the second, allowing their opponent to control possession for a whopping 63 percent of the game. They were lucky to escape with a one-goal loss, mostly thanks to goaltender Tim Howard’s heroics.

The U.S. team wasn’t just battling the opposing teams in the group stage, as the extreme conditions of this year’s World Cup came into play as well. After playing their game against Portugal at Manaus — in the middle of the Brazilian rain forest — the U.S. slogged away against Germany in a driving rain in Recife.

By the time they arrived in Recife, the U.S. team had traveled nearly 4,700 miles for their games in the group stage. They then had to take on a German team that had over a day of extra rest and hadn’t played their previous game in the extreme heat and humidity of Manaus.

With that in mind, it’s understandable that the squad looked spent on Thursday. They’ll certainly welcome the four days’ rest coming before their matchup with Belgium.

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Americans’ effort validates MLS

As referenced earlier, the composition of the U.S. squad caused quite a bit of controversy when it was announced last month, especially when you consider that 10 of the 23 U.S. players came from Major League Soccer, still considered a backwater league by many soccer aficionados.

But for the most part, the MLS stars have performed admirably.

Forward Clint Dempsey has been his goal-scoring self while displaying the toughness and resolve necessary for a team captain. Midfielder Kyle Beckerman (above) has proven to be the team’s most consistent presence in the center of the field, calmly organizing the Americans’ defense and playing like a World Cup veteran despite this being his first tournament. MLS standouts Zusi, Gonzalez and Yedlin have all been solid.

In fact, only midfielder Michael Bradley — believed by many to be the team’s most important player heading into the tournament — has disappointed out of the MLS group. More on him later.

The other notable contingent on the U.S. roster was the International-Americans, led by five German-Americans whom Klinsmann convinced to suit up for the stars and stripes.

That group has boasted two of the team’s best players so far in midfielder Jermaine Jones and defender Fabian Johnson (above), as well as Brooks, the hero of the Ghana game. Jones and Johnson should continue to start for the U.S. in the elimination games.

Against Belgium, the other international players — including youngsters Brooks, forward Aron Johannsson and midfielder Mix Diskerud -- may play a crucial role with the team in need of fresh legs to move on in the competition. Pay particular attention to Johannsson, who may be asked to play a bigger role than expected if Altidore remains sidelined.

Heading into the World Cup, perhaps no football association was more maligned than CONCACAF, which includes teams in North and Central America, as well as the Carribbean.

After all, the four teams in the tournament — the U.S., Mexico, Costa Rica and Honduras — entered the World Cup ranked Nos. 13, 20, 28 and 33 in the world, respectively. Mexico was the only one of the bunch given much of a chance of advancing past the group stage, but its road seemed less than secure after a tumultuous qualifying stage.

As it turns out, only Honduras won’t be moving forward after group play.

Mexico looked good in wins against Cameroon and Croatia and downright impressive in a draw against host Brazil. And Costa Rica (above) is perhaps the most surprising team in the tournament, defeating Uruguay and Italy and drawing England while winning Group D. The Americans? All they did was survive the “Group of Death” en route to the knockout round.

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Man of the Group: Jermaine Jones

This is a surprise to say the least. Heck, Jones wasn’t even a lock to make Klinsmann’s 23-man squad. But the 32-year-old has been spectacular in his first World Cup action after missing the 2010 tournament due to injury.

Jones has been physical and active when defending, seemingly covering the entire pitch at once. And he’s also proved impetuous and aggressive when he needed to be, which he perfectly exemplified with his absolute stunner of a goal against Portugal.

Dempsey, Beckerman and the always-steady Howard also challenged for the MVP of the group stage, but Jones gets the edge for his balanced play and the element of surprise.

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Most disappointing performance: Michael Bradley

Coming into the tournament, many observers — including yours truly — argued that the U.S. squad could go only as far as Bradley took them. Yeah, about that …

The 26-year-old has been uncharacteristically shaky, with a heavy first touch and a penchant for making the wrong play at the wrong time. It’s not that he’s been terrible; it’s just that he seems unable to make the kind of precise, creative play we’re used to seeing from him.

If Bradley is able to bounce back against Belgium, it will provide a major boost to the U.S. chances. If not? Well, they’ve gotten this far without a good effort from their rock in the midfield.

The U.S. moves on to play Belgium and captain Jan Vertonghen in Salvator at 4 p.m. Eastern (ESPN). The Belgians were a trendy pick to win it all heading into the tournament, but haven't yet played their best -- and that's saying something, as they absolutely ran away with Group H while winning all three of their matches.

The U.S. will attempt to move to the quarterfinals for the first time since 2002, while the Belgians have a longer streak to contend with, not advancing past the Round of 16 since 1986.